The Story of the First Damane
by AuthorSwimmerPoet
Summary: *On Hiatus*This is a story I thought of from a paragraph in the second book. The characters are mostly madeup but some are Jordan's, rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Story Idea-WOT-Illuminator girl (Ilyane) who is just old enough to really start handling and creating the fireworks

Illuminator Accepted

Chapter 1

The Strength of a Kindled Fire

"Ilyane?"

"Yes Father?" Ilyane asked twisting around from the miniature firework she was constructing. When she was finished it would not be as impressive as one of the massive fireworks the Illuminators were famous for but it would please a child, and that was as much learning as Ilyane had been given so far. She was merely a girl of sixteen with long blonde hair, constantly braided to keep it from singeing that matched her mother's. She had been raised as any other Illuminator child, fed slowly on the secrets of their craft, but now it was finally time.

"You have lit our large fireworks many times, for the festivals we hold for the dignitaries that ask for a display."

"Yes," Ilyane answered slowly, she already knew this and was clearly wondering why Dav was even speaking of it.

"It has been decided by the Guild, that you might be allowed to learning the making of the large fireworks beginning on your next birthday."

"Really Father?" Ilyane asked excitedly, forgetting her place so much as to hug him. "This wonderful." She murmured into his chest. She was lucky to have placed her firework to the side first, but thankfully as it was a small one even if it had gone off between them it wouldn't have been fatal. They would not have been able to travel to Caemlyn, but they would have survived the accident. Dav was just grateful his daughter had always been careful around the explosive devices; she seemed to understand the dangers better than anyone. She had lost her mother to them after all.

She had only been eight and Dav had been away tending to some of the work in Caemlyn's Chapter House, he'd thought they'd be fine for the few days that he was going to be gone, especially with Ilyane's older brother Matthen to help take care of things. The story went that Ilyane had been playing quietly and Matthen had run in heedless of the warnings he'd received to never disturb an Illuminator at their work.

Matthen had gone to hug his mother or perhaps show her one of his model fireworks. Ilyane had never been sure and it hardly mattered now anyway. Leane had fumbled her work and fuses and powders mixed that weren't supposed to until the firework was finished and ready to be launched. The whole thing had exploded. Matthen had been lucky to escape with his life, he still had a blasted and scarred looking face, one of his eyes didn't focus completely, and his right hand still couldn't close completely. Ilyane had been knocked unconscious by the blast and Leane, his precious Leane, had been killed. Matthen had yet to be permitted to learn how to handle the large fireworks, let alone make them, not that he was particularly inclined to anyway.

"Ilyane," Dav began in a warning tone. She wasn't supposed to hug him; he was one of the Guild Masters. She should know that it wasn't allowed. Only the Guild Masters with young children were allowed the contact between a parent and child and even then it was only supposed to be sparingly. It helped to keep accidents around the workshops to a minimum; since the rule had been instated they had only lost two Guild Masters in the last hundred years to an accident within the workplace. Dav was willing to forgive this time though. The announcement of being able to learn how to create the largest and most dangerous of fireworks signaled that a child was finally mature enough to be treated as an adult among the Illuminators. All children eagerly looked forward to this day, when they would finally be taught all the secrets of the Illuminators. Ilyane was one of the few children to learn so young. She picked up well on the creation of other works and was always meticulously in her preparations, she would be one of the youngest to learn the making of the large fireworks, many didn't learn until their early twenties. Ilyane was quite blessed by the Creator to have the chance to learn so young.

"Sorry Father." Ilyane murmured apologetically releasing him quickly, but though she tucked her head she couldn't hide the pleased grin on her face, she would not have expected to receive such an honor so young and Dav wondered if anything could ever wipe the smile from her face, it was so proud.

"At least you have not forgotten yourself so much as to hug me during my work. You do remember the most important safeties. Now come we have many preparations still to make. The collaborative festival with our Chapter House in Caemlyn is only weeks away."

"Of course Father." Ilyane murmured sketching a curtsey and hurrying from the room.

Deain Sedai glanced around the room with a slight sneer on her face. It was pitiful to see so many nobles gathered together and all so eager simply to see fireworks. If she hadn't been the counselor and advisor to the queen she never would have stood to be amongst such a childish crowd. Fireworks were for children. Any proper Aes Sedai could make the sky light up as easily as these foolish Illuminators, with their dangerous chemicals and powders that could probably kill every noble in the room if the firework misfired. The Aes Sedai version wouldn't hurt, not that any good Aes Sedai would be willing to demean herself for such a thing anyway.

She froze suddenly as she walked past the open archways that led to the courtyard where the Illuminators were preparing their spectacle. She could sense the gift in someone out there, an unawakened gift, but a gift nonetheless.

With a sweep of her skirts she was out of the room and in the courtyard searching purposefully through the faces of the Illuminators darkened by the night's shadows. She had to be here somewhere…

"What are you doing?" A young girl of about sixteen asked angrily appearing abruptly in front of the Aes Sedai. "The display is not prepared yet. Go back inside with the rest of the nobles until we are ready. We will not have you giving away our secrets."

Deain smiled in the darkness. _Ah, so it is you. A mere child. A whelp of the Illuminators, well, I'll change that soon enough._ "May I speak with you child?" Deain asked unable to refrain from the title given to all novices in the Tower.

"I'm not a child," The girl growled angrily.

Deain had had quite enough of this girl's impetuous attitude. "You would be wise to watch your tongue with me, _child._ I am Aes Sedai advisor to the Queen herself."

The girl paled but hardly seemed daunted by the prospect of an Aes Sedai, "Aes Sedai or not, you're not allowed until the fireworks are ready. Now go back and mingle, until they are prepared."

_You will do well in the Tower I think. We do not have many as audacious or spirited as you._ _You will definitely make the training interesting. Amrie will be happy to have such a willing plaything. She always complains that as Mistress of Novices she doesn't have much to do because the Novices are too well behaved. I think you will be the one she will have to break and she will enjoy that._ "Well child if you are going to force me to leave you must come with me. I have something important that I must speak of with you."

The girl snorted. "No self-respecting Aes Sedai would have anything of importance to say to an Illuminator," she cleared her throat after a glance at Deain's angry glare, "At least that's what I've heard. Because our art is so menial, to the One Power. You could light up the sky with a glance and we have to build our lights."

Deain merely continued to glare not allowing any discomfort at the girl's statement mirroring her earlier thoughts. She didn't like that the girl recognized the inferiority the Aes Sedai saw in the Illuminators work. "I'm not here to discuss the pretty lights you make." Deain answered with a slight sneer the girl was meant to see. "You could rise above all those menial playthings with my help. You have the ability to touch the True Source."

The girl actually began to laugh. "You think I can touch the Source? I could no more touch the Source than I could learn to fly."

"That's as it may be for now, but with the proper training to you could in fact learn to touch and handle _saidar_, whereas flight is not truly possible for anything but birds."

"You think I could touch the Source? I'm not some blasted Aes Sedai. I don't want to touch it and I won't touch it." The girl growled.

Deain gave her a tight smile. "You will become Aes Sedai. That I promise. The Tower does not let girls run free once the power is discovered in them."

The girl laughed. "Just try and teach me Sedai. You'll see I'm not some lamb to be won over by your cheap tricks. I know how to create lights in the sky without the help of your precious One Power, I do not plan on the lighting the sky with anything but fireworks."

"That's fine; we tend not to the sky with anything." Deain answered coolly. "We do much more important things with our power than throwing lights into the sky."

"What like destroying the lives of men? Simply because they might one day channel? It's not their fault they were born corrupted. If they die mad, they die mad, but it's not their fault."

Deain snorted. "You foolish girl, if we didn't protect the world by gentling those men the whole world would go mad. We're saving the world from another Breaking."

"You must be a Red to believe such nonsense. I've heard you always behave particularly foul to men."

"They're the ones who broke the world. Why wouldn't this instill anger in every heart of those who care about this world? Do you want a sane world to live in or not?"

"I'd rather live in an insane world, than a world without men. There would be no balance without them, and without them the world would break anyway, because there was no balance. Aes Sedai, don't you understand, much as you hate them, men are necessary to keep this world in balance."

"I'm sick of this impudence child." Deain snapped suddenly unable to contain her rising rage and frustration. "I will take you to the Tower and you will learn how to properly respect an Aes Sedai."

"What if I don't want to go with you?" The girl asked crossing her arms over her chest angrily.

"I will drag you there kicking and screaming if I must. You have the ability to touch the Source and we will not lose that. Nor will we allow you to burn yourself out because you touch _saidar_ accidentally. The Tower saves all the girls it finds. We do not want death among those who can touch the pure half of the One Power."

The girl giggled. "Aes Sedai, you will drag me nowhere. I am protected by the Illuminator's Guild and I will not be forced into some scheme by you to make think I must go to the White Tower or die. I still have the ability to choose Aes Sedai."

"The minute I found you and discovered your ability you lost the power of choice. You are going to the Tower. My Sister Freawyn is here at this obnoxious ceremony as well and will be returning to the Tower after, she's a Green and she can have all six of her Warders hogtie you to a saddle and drag to the Tower. I would take great pleasure in seeing it. You are much too haughty for a girl of your station."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I'm Aes Sedai. I can do whatever I want that is within my oaths." Deain answered unperturbed by the girl's resistant attitude. She would go to the Tower, by the Light she would!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cloaks in the Darkness

Ilyane shuddered as the peddlers walked past carrying several bundles of their precious fireworks. "I hate to see them with our fireworks. I'm always afraid their ineptitude will lead to some poor lout blowing his head off. It would be really horrible if some lummox thought he could play with them and went and blew something up for his not knowing what to do."

Dav squeezed his daughter's shoulder comfortingly before loading one of the racks onto the cart. "That's why we only sell our smaller fireworks, less chance of them killing themselves."

Ilyane sighed. "I know I just wish they wouldn't buy them at all. Those are our precious secrets going into the world to be used by inexperienced hands, if any of them got it into their heads to try and figure out those secrets..." Ilyane shuddered and looked away. She hated the idea of death.

Dav simply nodded and went to get another rack loaded. Ilyane sighed and waited for Matthen to come with the last rack that they needed to load onto their wagon, then they could finally head towards home and the safety of their own Chapter House. The Caemlyn Illuminators had offered theirs for them to stay in for the night, but no one had been eager to leave their Chapter House for so long so they had denied the request. Once they were back in their own Chapter House all the Illuminators would feel much better.

"Ready?" Matthen asked finally arriving carrying the last and most bulky of their racks. "Sounds like dad just wants to go to the other wagon until it's his turn to drive."

"Alright let's get that loaded and go."

"Have you reconsidered?" A cool voice asked in Ilyane's ear startling her.

"What are you doing here, _Aes Sedai_." Ilyane snapped in annoyance.

"I'm here to bundle you off for the Tower you foolish thing." The Aes Sedai answered. "I will not allow a Talent such as yours to be wasted."

"I don't want to go to your Tower; I just want to work with fireworks. That's all any Illuminator wants."

Matthen cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Sister is this an Aes Sedai, as you say?" Ilyane turned to look at him and Matthen scrunched his eyebrows in apparent confusion, "Why is an Aes Sedai interested in you?"

"She thinks I have some sort of talent for Channeling." Ilyane answered rolling her eyes.

"Sister perhaps you should go. Don't they say Channeling is dangerous in the untrained? I don't want you to die too, sister. I've already lost my mother and I would rather not lose my sister to something that could have been avoided as well."

Ilyane wanted to scream in frustration. Why was everyone so convinced that she could even Channel? Had the world gone crazy? She was about as likely to be capable of Channeling as a Trolloc was of walking up the street and killing them. "Matthen you can't be serious."

"Actually I am. I've wanted to get away for a long time and if you trained as Aes Sedai…I could be your Warder, and I wouldn't have to face dad's disappointment every time he looks at me."

"I can't believe you're actually considering this Matthen. I'm not going to become and Aes Sedai and make other people my puppets. I don't want anything that comes along with being Aes Sedai."

"Puppeteers are we?" The Aes Sedai asked with cold amusement.

Ilyane swallowed nervously, she'd completely forgotten they were in the presence of an Aes Sedai. She curtsied trying to make it up to her, "I'm sorry, Sedai, I forgot myself. I didn't mean to insult."

The Aes Sedai actually smiled, "Don't worry child the Tower will cure you of that. A trip or two to the Mistress of Novices and you won't ever want to speak badly of another person, even in your dreams."

Ilyane scowled, "It seems silly to use a scare tactic like that, when you want me to go to the Tower with you."

The Aes Sedai's smile tightened coolly, "You will come to the Tower, but if your spirit is already broken it makes the job of teaching you much easier."

"Deain!" A voice said in annoyance as a woman walked out of the darkness. She had the same ageless face of Deain, but her hair was bound tightly at the nape of her neck and she looked to come from somewhere southern, perhaps Illian or Tear, although her accent didn't sound anything like that. "It's not your job to force the Novices into obeisance, only the Mistress of Novices has that right, and until this girl's name is written in the book, there isn't much that even she could do, well and not receive punishment from the Amrylin I suppose."

"Stop babbling, you should have been a Brown, did you bring the horses?" Deain asked impatiently.

"It was hard to get them, I nearly had to have Bane wrestle one of the guards for them. I don't know why you didn't have your own horse Deain, but yes, I have brought them as requested." The Aes Sedai whistled and a man with a lethal looking walk appeared leading two horses, one a pale gray mare, that was prancing nervously in the slight breeze that had risen suddenly, the other a dark black stallion, that looked completely feral and unrideable, either chose hardly looked promising, even more Ilyane didn't want to go with this Aes Sedai, she'd never dreamt of adventure, and she certainly didn't want this anymore than she had when the idea was first presented to her.

"At least you didn't bumble this, now boy," She turned and Ilyane was surprised to realize that Deain was addressing her brother, "You say you want to come to the Tower, you say want to become a Warder."

"Yes, Sedai," Matthen answered a strange longing in his eyes. Ilyane wondered for a moment if perhaps Matthen saw this as a way to finally fit in, he had never been accepted among the Illuminators after the accident, so maybe he thought the Warders would be easier on him.

"Perhaps you should speak with Bane and Freawyn's others before you make your decision, but you may ride with us if you wish." Deain had visibly sneered as she spoke of the Warders, but other than that her face retained the cool indifference all Aes Sedai seemed to address the world with. More than anything Ilyane knew she did not want to wake up one day and find she looked like that. Aes Sedai seemed to have no humanity in them and Ilyane did not want that. This wasn't simply her want to play with the big fireworks anymore, although that dream did still drive her. She would not lose her humanity, to play with other peoples. She had never wanted to manipulate anyone to her own ends, which was clearly what Aes Sedai did, especially Deain Sedai, may the Creator curse her for ever finding Ilyane, or her traitorous brother.

"I never said I was going, Aes Sedai." Ilyane snapped. "You may take my brother if you wish, but I will not become some heartless puppetmaster. I have no wish to rule the world, by controlling the lives of others." Ilyane folded her arms and waited, she was not going to become their toy, or worse, one of them.

"You have no choice." Deain answered. "The Tower has found you and you will ride to the Tower whether you wish it or we have to strap you to the back of the horse. We will not waste any girl with Talent, but especially not a girl with yours." Deain turned away and climbed onto the back of the wild black stallion. "Now climb on girl. We do not have time to waste. The Tower will want to test your ability as soon as possible."

"I will not go!" Ilyane screeched, when suddenly hands wrapped around her waste and lifted her easily onto the back of the gray.

"Bane!" Freawyn scolded.

"She must come Sedai, if she has the ability she must be trained or die, one such as her will not. It would be a crime to take such spirit from the world."

"Boy, mount behind your sister. Keep her in the saddle at all costs. We must take her to the Tower to be trained."

Matthen nodded and climbed down from the wagon, only moments later on the horse behind Ilyane, his arms carefully locking her into her place on the saddle. "Traitor." She snarled angrily.

"Sister, I won't go away without you, and you must be trained. I won't have you die. Once you're trained, I can protect you and be your Warder."

"I don't want this!" Ilyane screeched in frustration, why would no one listen to her? Her statement hung in the air, making the air vibrate with her anger as they rode away from everything she'd ever known and into the dark cobbled streets of Caemlyn.

They had almost reached the gates to the city when voices cried out behind them. The group turned in surprise to see a large seething mass of white glowing in the streets behind them. "Blood and ashes," Matthen growled. "Whitecloaks."

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills." Deain murmured a smile creeping to her lips. "Now we must fly if we are to escape them this night."

"Let me off, I don't want anything to do with this anymore. If you're to be arrested by Whitecloaks do it without me." Ilyane said grumpily, struggling to break free of her brother's grip.

"Don't you understand girl? You can't escape them, you've been with Aes Sedai, a Tar Valon witch as they would say, they can hang you by their law just for that. They will take you as a Darkfriend now whether you are one or not. They work by suspicions rather than facts and evidence, now you must fly girl. Smack the horse and fly."

Ilyane was still reluctant to act and tried to stop her brother from doing anything impetuous turning to the other Aes Sedai ready to plea for freedom, but it seemed she had her own troubles. Her warders all seemed to be trying to go back and fight the Whitecloaks. "I will not lose a Warder this night." She snapped finally. "We can fly, where fighting would only mire us in a trap. Do this now, by my bid or I will release you from my bond."

Ilyane thought the woman was insane for having so many Warders and she couldn't understand much of what she was talking about, but she did know that she herself would never have so many Warders. It would be bad enough trying to handle her own brother. She froze, realizing her train of thought. _I will not become Aes Sedai, I will not! I will do anything it takes to not destroy myself, within forcing them to kick me out of their precious Tower if I must, but I will not become one of them, I will not!_

"We must go now!" Deain cried urgently. "We do not have time for arguments. We must fly into the night where the Whitecloaks will never find us! Come now, Freawyn, get those fool men in order, if you cannot control your own men, perhaps you do not deserve the right of the ring and shawl! We must fly now!"

Without another word, Deain turned her horse and galloped into the darkness. Matthen clearly more inclined to follow an Aes Sedai than his own sister, urged the mare into a gallop behind her and the rest were quick to follow.

_You fool brother of mine! What kind of mess have you gotten me into?_ Ilyane thought angrily as they rode into the darkness and depth of the night.

"Ilyane?" Dovrin called arriving at the Illuminator girl's wagon and wondering where she and her brother were, at least Matthen should have been left to look after the equipment. It was against Illuminator statues to leave things out where anyone could find them and begin to make use of them. _Where has that pesky girl run off to? I finally have my question prepared for her and she disappears. This is ridiculous. She certainly shouldn't be learning the larger fireworks if all she's going to do is disappear with her brother the first time she's allowed out, after discovering it. I swear if I find her celebrating in some bawdy tavern or inn, I'll destroy her._

Dovrin growled angrily to himself for a moment, before leading the horse still attached to Ilyane's wagon to the attendant already watching his own. He was going to find Ilyane tonight if it killed him. She had no right to run off like she had. Now that her wagon was taken care of he hurried into the darkness of the streets, he needed to find Ilyane and soon. She needed to be punished for running off.

He wandered the streets of Caemlyn and was surprised to find very few inns open so late, he'd thought that all inns would be open until the next morning and on, especially on a night of celebration like this, did none of them care anymore since they were receiving no more patrons fresh arrived from the fireworks display? He peered into the few inns he passed that were open, but none of them seemed to be thrilling in their usual bawdy behavior, and Dovrin wondered what had happened, to make the inns less active than usual.

He had traversed almost every street in the city and was drawing close to the gates still without any sign of Ilyane or her idiot brother, when he stumbled quite mistakenly on a nest of vipers. Whitecloaks. Children of the Light. Whatever they were to be called they didn't like that he'd been wandering through the dark so late.

"So you're in league with the witches?" One of them leered at him. "One of their 'Warders' come to finish us off in the dark perhaps? Well we can't have that now can we?" The man sneered and before Dovrin could move had thrown his arms tightly around him.

Dovrin struggled but it only served to attract more of the men's attention and soon, he was completely surrounded by Whitecloaks and they made quick work of tying him up and heading towards the gate of the city.

"We have our Darkfriend this night!" The man who had originally captured Dovrin cried. "We will take him to Amadacia to be tried under the Light!"

Dovrin could only stumble along in mute surprise. He didn't know how they had mistaken him for a Darkfriend, but he did know that if he was taken to be tried, he would not live past the trial. Whitecloaks saw what they wanted to see and nothing else. He tried to think through the pain of being bound, pushed and shoved as they led him along, he needed a plan of escape or he would never live to ask Ilyane his question.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hindrance

Ilyane glared angrily at her brother's back. Deain had finally allowed them to make a camp after almost two straight days of riding, but it hardly mattered that no one was watching her now. She couldn't run away now, there was nothing for miles, in any direction and Ilyane didn't like the idea of wandering without knowing where she was going. How she wished that her pigheaded brother had taken it into his head to kidnap her!

Ilyane rolled over unable to stand the sight of her brother anymore. Why had he wanted to 'protect' her anyway? She didn't understand how forcing her to become Aes Sedai protected her.

She watched one of the Warders crouched in front of the fire. She hadn't known that an Aes Sedai could have so many, but Freawyn didn't seem to take any sort of advantage from the fact that she had six. Deain had no Warders at all and she had still managed to rope Ilyane into going to the White Tower, even if that was largely due to her brother's influence.

Ilyane stood and went to the fire, realizing she probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, not with so many things bothering her. She wished there was someone else she could ask her questions to, but as the Warder was all she had and she didn't want to ever speak to the Aes Sedai again if she could help it, she sat next to him and in a soft voice that she almost hoped he couldn't hear she asked, "Where are we headed?"

"To the White Tower and Tar Valon of course, but I believe Deain Sedai means to stop in Whitebridge and catch some sort of vessel for the rest of the trip. She never did like horses much, if memory serves."

"A boat?" Ilyane asked in surprise, "then what the purpose of fetching her a new horse?"

The Warder chuckled. "She had to get to Whitebridge and she wasn't going to walk. Deain Sedai as never been that sort. She uses things and doesn't consider what she'll do with them when the things use has been fulfilled for her."

"What will they do to me once we get to Tar Valon? Does it hurt to become Aes Sedai?"

The Warder roared laughter startling Ilyane. "I suppose it could, but from what I've seen at least at first, it is mostly just draining, physically and mentally, for you probably spiritually as well, most don't come to the Tower with as much fight in them as you but it will make you the better for it once you take on the name of Sedai, too many these days have been raised to the shawl only to become complacent Browns hiding their noses away in books." The Warder snorted in what seemed to be disgust, but Ilyane couldn't see his face well enough in the firelight to discern his feelings for sure, not that she was entirely sure that even full light would've helped. The Warders seemed a stoic group.

Ilyane sighed wondering why everything had to be so secretive with these people. She went back to her blanket. She hoped that she could sleep now, it would be so wonderful to be lost in the oblivion of sleep, dreams were so much nicer than the waking world, even if she did sometimes dream herself into the waking world that didn't seem to have any people.

Dovrin was amazed by the quick travel of the Whitecloaks it had only taken days to reach the town of Whitebridge and they were traveling by foot. He hadn't taken much notice of the city, little more than a village really, on first passing through with the rest of the Illuminator entourage, but he was rather amazed by it now. The bridge spanning the river, whose name he had ridiculously forgotten, was truly magnificent. His mother had even been helping him to memorize maps of the area, so that he would know what the Andorans had been talking about, if of course he had even talked to one of them. Which he hadn't really.

He, like most Illuminators, didn't like speaking with people out of the sect, it tended to let secrets accidentally slip out, and the Illuminators didn't need others making their fireworks.

But his real worry was the speed at which they were traveling. If they had already arrived in Whitebridge so quickly, it seemed that his trial and imminent death because of that trial were too close for comfort. He had thought he would have months to prepare himself for the fact that the Whitecloaks were going to kill him no matter what he said, they always made their decision of what the verdict would be before the trial and nothing would sway them. If they could truly travel so fast though, then Dovrin was in trouble. He wasn't going to have a good chance at surviving the trial if they were hurrying him so quickly and there was no way he could think to escape. They watched him too closely.

Dovrin was doomed to a quick death, because the Whitecloaks were going to try him as a Warder. They wouldn't listen when he tried to tell them he wasn't; they'd already made up their minds. Dovrin could only hope they wouldn't torture him before they put him on trial and killed him. It was a hopeless thought; the Whitecloaks would do whatever they wanted to him before they executed him.

Dovrin hung his head the splendor of Whitebridge suddenly not seeming so great anymore.

Ilyane leaned over the deck of the Ivory Petal staring out at Whitebridge, which they would shortly be departing from. Deain would finally calm down. They had been stuck in Whitebridge for almost a week as they waited for the Ivory Petal to finish loading its cargo so they could leave. Deain had been especially angry at the captain because he hadn't been daunted at all by any of the Aes Sedai threats. He simply kept repeating that he had to get all of his cargo loaded before they departed and it had taken almost a week to do so. Deain had gotten steadily more annoyed and frustrated but nothing she said had even bothered the captain.

Ilyane had been amazed; she hadn't realized that someone could actually stand up to an Aes Sedai like that. She had tried but, due to her current situation, it clearly hadn't been as effective as this captain's efforts. Ilyane didn't know why Deain hadn't simply commandeered another ship. Deain clearly hated horses, but it didn't make sense that she wouldn't simply try leaving on another boat, but then most of the Aes Sedai's actions hadn't made sense to Ilyane, so she discounted it and simply continued to stare out at Whitebridge.

Matthen joined her hesitantly, "Are you still angry with me sister?" He asked softly staring at the water. "I just don't want to lose you. I've already blundered and lost my mother, I wasn't going to let you fall into a chance with death. These people can keep you alive. You'll live longer in their care."

"At what cost to myself?" Ilyane asked softly staring at the crowds hurrying about their business. She wished that she had never let the Illuminator's fortress. She just wanted to be back in a workshop making fireworks. That was all she'd ever asked of life. "They'll change me, make me what they want, not what I want. Matthen all I ever wanted to do was make fireworks. If I go to the Tower I won't be able to do what I want ever again."

"At least you'll live." Matthen muttered sounding a bit embarrassed, before he turned and went back into the depths of the ship.

Ilyane stared across the river in shock, was it really…"Dovrin?" She hurried to the gangplank she had to know if that really was Dovrin she'd seen being led through the crowd by Whitecloaks.

"Where's that girl run off to now?" Deain asked in annoyance pacing her room. It was well past the time when they should have left, but now Ilyane had disappeared and they couldn't depart without her. _I'm going to strangle her when she turns up, and then I'm going to force her to use the Source if kills me._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Flight

Osprey folded up her performing her suit and shoved it in a drawer, before smoothing out her dress on final time and leaving the wagon. It wasn't often that she able to wear a dress, especially not at night, but for once Kohath was allowing all the performers of his troupe a single night off from the continuous work that seemed to follow them when they were camped outside of a city.

The true reason for Osprey's freedom though, was that her mother, formerly Zara Sabin, but who would only answer to her stage name Goose, was allowing all of her children, her "little flock" to go out and party with the rest of the city. It was some sort of holiday in Andor and Goose thought that it would be a good experience for her children.

Osprey raced across the camp, hoping she wouldn't run into her father, once of the name Booz, now simply the Falling Falcon. If he managed to catch her before she left, he would lecture her for at least an hour about the dangers of leaving Kohath's protection. Not that it was really much protection anyway. Kohath would let anyone into the camp if they paid him enough.

Osprey's sister, Swan, joined her about halfway across the camp and joined eagerly in the running almost sneak from their parents and Kohath's control. "Sister, I know that our parents wish us to be birds, but tonight you must call me Serapt. I want to be a normal person. I don't want to be a bird just for tonight."

Osprey nodded in understanding, all of Falling Falcon's and Goose's children loved to be up in the performing as if they really were birds. Osprey and Eaglet especially had always been very proficient at their family's feats. They could walk on the wire as if they were walking on the ground and most of the time they didn't even feel as if they were walking on a rope so high above the ground. This allowed them to perform all sorts of tricks that their brother's never would have dared simply because they didn't have either of their sisters' amazing sense of balance and confidence on the wire. They tended to cling to it as if they were going to fall off if so much as a breeze started to knock them about.

"How did you decide on that name it doesn't seem very Andoran."

Swan simply shrugged, "I've just always liked the name. It's prettier than being named after a bird."

"They say there might be fireworks tonight," Osprey said changing the subject. Her sister's alias wasn't all that important when compared to the celebration they were going to be able to participate in tonight.

"Fireworks? Why would there be fireworks? I thought the Illuminators didn't like sharing their secrets."

"Showing them off isn't sharing their secrets, they like showing their fireworks to prove that they are the only ones that can make them. But I don't care about all that I just want to see the fireworks."

"But why the Illuminators be here?"

"They were at some big event in Caemlyn just a little so, I guess they would be stopping here on their way back to their fortress thing."

Ilyane crouched outside the inn that the Whitecloaks had taken Dovrin into wondering, what she had gotten herself into. How was she supposed to rescue Dovrin from a nest of Whitecloaks? She should have brought the Aes Sedai with her, maybe they would have helped, but with luck they wouldn't have realized she was gone and just sailed off to Tar Valon, that was the one advantage that Ilyane could see to the situation, although she still didn't know how she was going to manage a rescue on her own.

Ilyane stomped her foot angrily. _I'm such a woolhead! I should have brought someone with me. Even Matthen could've helped somehow._

A few more minutes later realizing she would be even less help outside than in, because perhaps once inside, the situation wouldn't seem quite so difficult, Ilyane slipped into the inn.

Osprey began to laugh in enjoyment. She hadn't danced properly in ages, and her partner Zin was a very good dancer. She didn't even know most of the steps to these Andoran dances and despite that she was hardly stumbling at all he was so good at leading.

They'd been dancing for hours and it was well past midnight when he finally stopped her looking flushed. "Thank you for dancing with me. It's not every day that a stranger comes to town so willing to dance."

Osprey curtsied deeply and flirtatiously. "At your service milord." She teased this man was clearly a country bumpkin and not only by his dress. He didn't have the right mannerisms or accent to be a noble, but thankfully he wasn't from the deep country. They tended to have such impossibly broken down language, that they said next to nothing understandable.

"Shall we, uh, rest ourselves and go walking for a bit? It's a beautiful night and I know a park that's just lovely when kissed with moonlight."

Osprey giggled at his use of kiss wondering if he was implying something and nodded eagerly. "Lead on; lead on. It seems to be about all you're useful for but lead on, lead on."

Feeling strangely powerful, Ilyane looked around the inn filled almost to bursting with Whitecloaks with next to no regular men inside. Most men weren't comfortable around Whitecloaks and Ilyane wondered what sort of men would be so comfortable as to share drinks with them.

She was filled with the same feeling she had whenever she was making fireworks. She felt powerful, and as if she were seeing things in more minute detail than ever before. Even the brush of her clothing against her skin as she walked up to the bar felt intense, she almost wishing she had some of her firework material because she was in the perfect condition to do something that required intense concentration.

Trying her best to ignore everyone else, seem aloof and as if she were meant to be there, Ilyane hurried towards the stairs. The Whitecloaks were undoubtedly keeping Dovrin in one of their rooms until they moved on.

Her whole body began to tremble as she arrived on the second floor. There were so many doors and she didn't know if she had enough time to check all of them. _What should I do? Where should I start?_


End file.
